Ocean University in Qingdao is one of them (where I did not sign the contract they offered me for reasons I already explained).

The students at key universities are in general better than at other unis, and enrollment requirements are also higher. Key unis are financed by the Peking central government, and graduates from those unis in general have better job chances. They also have the best professors and lecturers they can get.

Yet, they are still not able to match with the standards at Western unis. Example: Ocean university is not yet authorized to offer advanced study programs at Master and Doctorate level. I myself, a foreigner, was the only professor in the Department concerned; the Department head had obtained her Master degree at a university in the West.

Chinese unis seem to be in a transition period, and all of them put a lot of pressure on their Chinese faculty to work towards more advanced degrees.

That university doesn't treat its FTs well enough! I recall the contract it had offered you being broken by the university as regards your accommodation. It's not always the case that key universities in China treat their FTs the best. The admin can be haughty and too bossy.

I have been to Qingdao on vacation with a party of FTs from Shanxi. That province used to arrange annual cut-price holidays for its public college/university FTs and their FAOs during the October national holiday of 10 days duration.

Qingdao in 1995 was expensive. The cost of living and property prices were high due to the city having many rich tourists, including South Koreans who had bought holiday homes there. A former student of mine from Shanxi moved there with his family. He told me apartments cost 10,000 RMB'sq metre! That was 10 years ago! As an FT in Qingdao, a decent salary for a college/university job would be at least 7,500 RMB for a 14 clock-hour teaching week, I'd reckon. In 2006, one of my Jinan students visited Qingdao with his best friend. He complained that a bowl of noodles in a small cafe cost 8 RMB! A pleasant coastal city, yes. However, not a cheap city for an FT who wishes to save money unless of course he/she can obtain a high salary, relatively speaking. Easier said than done!